When God Won’t Get Out of Your Way

I have a way of getting my kids to do what I want. Wanna know my secret?

It’s simple: I make it unavoidable. Impossible to miss. Even blocking their next move.

While the methods may vary, the plan is the same: to stand in their way until they see what they must do next. Because for my kids, the most obvious thing is the easiest to understand.

God works the same way in our lives.

We do this thing, as Christians, when we’ve reached a certain part of our faith. We may do it out of gratitude, or a deep love for Him. Out of the realization of what He’s done, or the just the longing to serve. But, somewhere along the lines of our faith, we all search for something “to do” for Him. To show Him how much we love Him.

While this in and of itself is a good thing, if you’re like me, you often find yourself halfway down a path to serving Him only to realize that you shouldn’t be on that particular path. Maybe you volunteer to help the youth ministry only to realize it’s not your strength. Maybe you search the church needs list and decide that you are the perfect person to fill a particular role, until you discover you’re not. Or, maybe like me, you go off on your own and launch an entire ministry, only to discover it wasn’t where God wanted you right now.

The thought of “if you build it, they will come” doesn’t really apply to God. It’s best to wait and see what He places in our paths, than to make a decision without Him.

As much as we may want to do something to honor God, when we’re in His will, His path for us is made clear. And though our intentions may be in the right place, the move may not be the one God wants us to make at this time.

David went through the same issues in his relationship with God. After God gave David the kingdom he’d been promised, David settled into it and realized that He wanted to do something for God. David decided that he needed to build a temple for the Arc of the Covenant. I mean, he was living in a palace for goodness sake. Didn’t God deserve a temple?

Though it was certainly initiated by David’s love and gratitude, and I imagine the thought was appreciated by God, it was not what God had in mind for David. He did, in fact, have that plan in place, but it would come later—from David’s son.

The plain and simple fact is that God can be right alongside us, even as we make decisions without Him. He can be holding our hand, even as we grasp towards something that is off the path He has planned for us. Because when He wants us to do something for Him, sisters, He will make it abundantly clear. It will be unavoidable. Blocking our paths to move forward without it.